All Summer In a Day

Two days ago it rained and today is overcast and misty again. But yesterday, YESTERDAY was heavenly. A perfect spring day. The ground was still damp, the plants all seemed plumped up, and the trees just on the verge of bloom. The sun was coming in at that magical angle, not quite summer, and not still winter. In the sun, you were warm, in the shade you were cool. Gorgeous. My pup and I took a lovely mid-day walk and I got just a hint of a sunburn from my 30 minutes or so outside. I felt like blooming like the trees.

It reminded me of the first story that ever broke my heart. Ray Bradbury's short story: All Summer in a Day. I had had an emotional response to books and stories up to that point but I don't think I had ever been truly and deeply affected to this degree. It's horrible and beautiful. I remember wanting to stop, thinking 'make it stop' but you can't. You have to finish. I remember actually feeling like I wanted to go back to before I had ever heard this story, rip it out of my head. I wanted to yell at my teacher 'Take it back!'. I suppose that is actually the kind of thing every literature loving teacher wants to hear. That the person is changed by the story.

That reminded me of two books I wanted to tell you about that can be read IN a day! Ok, maybe YOU can't read it in a day because you actually don't neglect your children and family by saying things like 'uh huh, get whatever you want from the fridge....uh huh, you can watch a movie....no, I don't have anything planned for dinner' so you can keep reading. :)   I don't do that either *ahem* that is just....awwwww, I forgot Eric reads this....that's EXACTLY what I do.

Our first book up is 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry. a- MAZE-ing. And Hello, the layers, the applications, the messages. You are gonna want to read this book if you somehow missed it in school like I did. It was recommended to me by a great book friend. (Thanks DeeDee!) I understand this author wrote two other books that are loosly considered sequels. I have them on my 'to read' list. Just a word about the cover art. What is UP with that? Is that not the WORST? Why do they have to make it so bad? Who would just pick up this book while they were browsing the shelves. I almost put it back myself just based on the cover. I was like YUCK, what kind of book is this. Answer: Awesome! (guess that's where they get that whole 'don't judge a book by it's cover' eh?)

Second book is Divergent by Veronica Roth. This would be a recommendation for my fellow YA SciFi fans. It goes in the catagory 'if you liked Hunger Games.....'. There are alot of similarities and I can see where there will be some haters just on that score (even the cover art is like a total Hunger Games knock off) but alot of the story undertones are unique and the main character is definately worth getting to know in her own right. Pick it up!


Have you read any of these items? What's your take? I'd love to hear what YOU have to say!

Photo credit here, here, and here